Flight control systems, flight control laws, and aircraft are provided. An flight control system includes an input configured to receive a pitch rate command, a processor operative to receive the pitch angle command, to calculate a pitch angle saturation limit, to compare the sum of the pitch rate command, the scaled pitch rate, and the scaled pitch angle to the pitch angle saturation limit, to convert the pitch rate command system to the pitch angle command system in response to the sum exceeding the pitch angle saturation limit value to limit the pilot pitch-up pitch rate command, and to couple the pitch rate command to an aircraft control surface for the failure case of one of control surface, and the aircraft control surface configured to adjust an aircraft control surface setting in response to the pitch rate command and/or pitch angle command to protect an aircraft from being in stall condition.

The control system for attachment to a collective lever in a rotorcraft which comprises a body with an extended horn portion which is generally contoured to provide for a place to rest the palm and grip the collective lever at the end in the form of an open spherical grip as opposed to the more traditional cylindrical grip used to grasp the throttle and/or collective lever directly. The control system generally includes a plurality of controls which can be manipulated by any or all of the four fingers of the hand and the thumb without need to substantially move the palm. The collective lever can also be moved without having to remove the hand from the control system or the fingers or thumb from the controls.

A distributed control system with supplemental attitude adjustment including an aircraft control having an engaged state and a disengaged state. The system also including a plurality of flight components and a plurality of aircraft components communicatively connected to the plurality of flight components, wherein each aircraft component is configured to receive an aircraft command and generate a response command directing the flight components as a function of supplemental attitude. The supplemental attitude based at least in part on the engagement datum and generating a supplemental attitude includes choosing a position supplemental attitude if the aircraft control is disengaged and choosing a velocity supplemental attitude if the aircraft control is engaged. In generating the response command, the aircraft attitude is combined with the supplemental attitude to obtain an aggregate attitude, and the aircraft component is configured to generate the response command based on the aggregate attitude.

A method of controlling a path of a rotorcraft. The method comprises a step of generating a first path setpoint and a step of automatically generating a first autopilot command from the first path setpoint. The method comprises a step of generating a first pilot setpoint during which a movement of a control member is transformed into a first pilot setpoint, the first pilot setpoint and the first flight parameter being homogenous in that they are expressed in the same measurement unit. The method includes a step of generating a first human pilot command from the first pilot setpoint followed by a step of generating a path command by combining the first autopilot command and the human pilot command.

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a control apparatus includes a first mounting member, an elongate member having a first elongate portion, a second elongate portion, a first axis member between the first elongate portion and the second elongate portion, pivotally mounting the elongate member to the first mounting member and defining a first axis, a track configured as an arc defined about the first axis, and a first feedback assembly supported upon the second elongate portion and providing a first interface device configured to travel along the track in response to movement of the second elongate portion partly about the first axis, wherein the mass of the second elongate portion and the first feedback assembly substantially offsets the mass of the first elongate portion about the first axis member.

A flight control handle suitable for being operated by a pilot, the flight control handle including a stick-forming grip carrying an end box that is provided with a hollow shell provided with a top face, at least one control projecting towards an external environment of the top face. The flight control handle has a controllable member suitable for being actuated by a person, the end box including at least one electronic wall incorporating an electronic circuit, the electronic circuit including at least one sensor that co-operates with the controllable member.

An autopilot system includes an actuator arrangement that receives control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes. A control stick input arrangement allows flight mode selection and control with no more than a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the hand away from the engaged position. A slaved gyro output signal is based on no more than the set of sensor outputs used by the autopilot such that an autopilot display presents autopilot flight mode information while displaying a slaved gyro output. The autopilot provides for pilot selection of one of a subset of the plurality of flight modes which is customized based on a current flight status of the helicopter. An automatic autorotation mode is provided.

An input attitude associated with an input device of an aircraft is received. A supplemental attitude is generated, including by selecting a position-based supplemental attitude to be the supplemental attitude in the event the input device is in a disengaged state and selecting a velocity-based supplemental attitude to be the supplemental attitude in the event the input device is in an engaged state. The input attitude and the supplemental attitude are combined in order to obtain a combined attitude. The aircraft is controlled using the combined attitude.

A method and system for simulating pilot controls in a cockpit simulator by controlling one or more arms on which is/are mounted a control grip, pedal or the like, to locate the grip at different positions and allow movement of the grip in a plurality of movement directions and trajectories while allowing varying force feedback.

A side console for an aircraft cockpit includes a structure for mounting of an item of aircraft equipment and a complementary structure. The mounting structure and the complementary structure are formed of single-piece components articulated about an axis of articulation between a storage position in which the single-piece components are more or less folded against one another, and a position of installation in which the single-piece components extend respectively in substantially mutually perpendicular planes.